


Querencia

by Numb2156



Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Because SOLDIERs and Rufus don’t have them, Denial of Feelings, Eventual Fluff, Eventual Smut, Fix-It of Sorts, Hojo’s a bad father, M/M, Manipulative Relationship, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Poor Tseng he just wants to love Rufus, Possessive Sephiroth (Compilation of FFVII), President Shinra’s a bad father, Rating May Change, Rufus is a manipulative little bastard, Sane Sephiroth (Compilation of FFVII), Someone give Rufus and Sephiroth some hugs, Strangers to Lovers, That’s why I like him, Unrequited Love, at first, obviously
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-17 19:55:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29356065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Numb2156/pseuds/Numb2156
Summary: That day in the laboratory changed everything for him. What had originally started as a child’s silly ploy to eventually overthrow his father turned into something much more once they both grew up.Now, Rufus has to accept the outcome of that decision- both the good, and the bad.
Relationships: Rufus Shinra & The Turks, Rufus Shinra/Tseng, Sephiroth/Rufus Shinra
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21





	1. For The Future

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve been developing an obsession that borders on unhealthy regarding this ship. At first, I just imagined them together because I thought Rufus and Sephiroth were the hottest characters in the game... but then I started thinking about how Rufus would’ve taken advantage of Sephiroth’s emotional weakness and pretended to be his friend in order to control him. This was the result.

Rufus looked at the child in front of him, its luminous gaze locked onto his. Neither of them spoke a word while Hojo and his father talked about the new training regiment Sephiroth would be subjected to. He’d never liked Hojo, had always struck him as too much of a loose cannon that swore no allegiance to anyone- uncontrollable and far too eager to dispose of test subjects in the case something went wrong.

He would be the first person Rufus would get rid of when he became president.

“I would recommend altering the boy’s training. Increasing the duration, for one. Hmm, maybe even superior robots? I mean, you see how weak the boy looks! He’s going to get beat up by a couple trained soldiers with no problem. He would be useless then, and we can’t have that happening, not when he’s got the potential to be the best weapon we have. Don’t you agree, President Shinra?” Hojo ranted, a crazed smile plastered on his face.

Sephiroth watched Hojo, his face possessing a look of boredom. His eyes were glazed over somewhat, almost as if he was disconnecting himself from the torturous treatment awaiting him. A twinge of sympathy flared up in Rufus for a brief second, before he squandered it. Compassion is weakness, it is unneeded. Even less so in situations like these. 

“Is that something you’re willing to do, boy?” Father asked.

“It makes no difference to me,” he replied without looking up.

“Good. You will get started immediately.” Rufus startled slightly when a heavy hand was placed on his shoulder, gripping him tight enough to almost bruise. “My son will be joining you. If he is to become the president of Shinra one day, he will need to know how to protect himself. As is, he doesn’t even know how to throw a proper punch.” 

“So I have to teach him how to hurt someone?”

“No, no, I wouldn’t put such a burden on you. He will just watch and learn from a better.” Rufus could feel the tips of his ears burning from embarrassment. How was he going to be respected by anyone if his father undermined him in every way whenever it was around?

Sephiroth glanced at him momentarily then silently nodded, turning towards the elevator that would take them to the training simulator. Before Rufus could follow him, his father hunched over to whisper into his ear, hand clenching his shoulder like a vice. “Learn something from him, son. You need to control him.” His father finally released him and stood back up to full height, walking away with Hojo. _Control him? Why would I need to do that? He’s just a child who’s good at fighting, isn’t he?_ He wanted to ask him what he’d meant, but he held his tongue. He couldn’t afford to have his father think any less of him than he already did.

Turning back to the elevator, he met Sephiroth’s gaze again, looking a strange mix of agitated and bored while he stood in front of the door. Straightening his posture, Rufus walked over to it and pressed the button, getting in without saying a word to the other boy.

Rufus couldn’t help but sneak side glances at him, trying to get a read on his emotions. Usually, he was able to read people like books, deduce their intentions and figure out their thought process. It came from being surrounded by smiling socialites and power-hungry men who were all, at their cores, the exact same; selfish, greedy bastards demanding respect they hadn’t earned.

Of course, he should’ve known better than to assume Sephiroth had anything in common with them. Rufus doubted he was even human.

The elevator dinged and the doors opened to reveal the lounge; the training simulator only being a couple feet away. As they walked out, Rufus looked to his left, drawn by the view of the city the floor to ceiling windows provided. It was nearing nighttime by now, the sun tinting the horizon pink and orange as it set. From up here, everything looked peaceful, uncorrupted. The filth beneath the plates and in the cities wasn’t visible from this high up, no evidence of the crimes being committed just out of sight. _Once I become president, I’ll make sure this view becomes more than a beautiful illusion. I’ll make it the reality for everyone._ With a small smile settling on his mouth, Rufus looked away and faced Sephiroth, who was just about to go into the training simulator. 

“Are you going in or are you waiting for me?” Rufus asked, voice lilting up slightly. He didn’t answer, instead gesturing towards the simulator. “Waiting for me, then. How kind.” 

As he stepped in, the world morphed around him immediately. Slightly startled, Rufus glanced around for Sephiroth, hoping he hadn’t been thrown in by himself. He hadn’t activated it, and didn’t see Sephiroth do it either. Then, the sim settled around him and he came face-to-face with four 2nd class SOLDIERs, all equipped with swords, all ready to fight. One of them lunged towards him and Rufus just barely managed to roll out of the way in time before a blur of black and white charged past him. He heard a cut-off scream close to him, only to see the SOLDIER disintegrate.

Sephiroth had killed him in less than a second. 

The other SOLDIERs followed soon after, leaving only Sephiroth standing in front of him. Rufus managed to school his features before he turned to look at him, his face the same blank mask he’d been wearing the entire time. 

“You should warn me before turning this on. I could’ve gotten hurt!” Rufus scowled, picking himself up off the floor and quickly dusting himself off.

“Then you should be more aware of your surroundings. In a real battle, an enemy would take advantage of your weakness, no matter how fleeting it may be,” Sephiroth’s monotonous voice replied unperturbed.

“As if you would know what a real fight’s like. You’re only nine, and-“

“I will know soon enough.” Rufus paused, taking in how Sephiroth’s hand tightened around the grip of his sword and the strained quality in his voice. The boy was focused on the floor, eyes obstructed by his shoulder-length hair. He could almost swear he was trembling, but why would he? Was it possible Sephiroth was privy to information not even the higher-ups knew about?

“Why do you say that?” Sephiroth shook his head briefly, as if clearing away unwanted thoughts. And in an instant, the moment of tension was gone. 

“The next round is starting. All you have to do is get good at dodging and watch me. When this is over, you’ll be the one fighting.”

Over the course of the next few minutes, Rufus did exactly that. He managed to weave between Sephiroth and the VR opponents without getting hit. It seemed as though his only asset in the field was his agility.

As he rolled away from a Sahagin’s trident, Sephiroth sliced its head clean off. Rufus had admired the grace and fluidity with which he moved, thinking it similar to a grim reaper performing a dance of death. And although he tried to focus on not getting hurt, his mind kept wandering back to what Sephiroth said earlier. Would he be deployed to battle? If so, which one? Shinra would never send out Sephiroth for something as trivial as keeping the public in line, they had the grunts for that. But there wasn’t any kind of war going on since Shinra had nearly the entire world under their thumb, no one would dare rebel. Wutai was the only nation they didn’t yet have control over, but what could they do? Their technology paled significantly when compared to Shinra’s, and so did their army. So what else would call for battle?

“Watch out!”

Rufus muttered the few curse words he knew under his breath, narrowly avoiding a strike of lighting. _Now is not the time for monologuing. Focus on not getting killed._

Before soon, all the enemies had been defeated and Rufus was left a mess. His breathing was coming fast, hair falling into his face and his once perfectly ironed shirt and slacks were rumpled and ripped. At this point, he had long given up on the pretense that he wasn’t struggling. It was far more trouble than it was worth. 

“You’re not very strong. Seems like you don’t have much stamina either. I’m surprised you’re still standing.” Sephiroth, by contrast, had nary a hair out of place. He had the same bored look on his face as earlier, and Rufus was starting to wonder if that was the only expression he knew how to make. 

“I… didn’t… even have a weapon. I didn’t even know… I’d be thrust into a battle immediately either,” Rufus tried to growl out. Though his words came out far too breathy to be anything other than pathetic.

“I suppose you’re right. I am supposed to be teaching you something instead of admonishing you. I made a mistake by assuming you’d be able to dodge and watch me at the same time,” Sephiroth sighed, furrowing his eyebrows ever so slightly. “We’ll call it a day for now, because you look too exhausted to keep going.” Rufus bristled while he watched the other boy walk out. He knew the words were true, but it didn’t make them any less unpleasant to hear. Perhaps the very reason he hated hearing them was because he was reminded of how weak he was in comparison to everybody around him. His father was a beacon, a symbol is his own right. That was something Rufus could admit, no matter how much he loathed him. He’d made Shinra into what it was today by himself, something Rufus would inherit without having done anything to be worthy of it. And Sephiroth, despite being three years younger than him, was a prodigy in fighting who had accomplished far more than he had. Where had all that strength come from? It was simply impossible-

Rufus paused. 

It wasn’t possible. Not unless he had some kind of modifications made to him. 

Suddenly, it all made sense. Why Hojo was around him so often, why he was monitored so closely, why he had been referred to as a weapon. Sephiroth had to be some kind of lab experiment engineered specifically for the sake of fighting. If that really was the case, then there should be a case file in Hojo’s laboratory regarding everything they’d done to make him. As Rufus exited the fighting sim, he started formulating a plan to sneak into his lab. There had to be a time Hojo wasn’t around; the perfect window of opportunity. 

__

That opportunity came several days later. There was a board meeting scheduled for 11:00 to 2:00, lengthy even for Shinra. From the tidbits Rufus had heard from the other workers, it seemed like the topic of discussion was Wutai. The relations between Shinra and Wutai had always been strained, since they were the only ones still unwilling to join Shinra. Rufus suspected it was just a matter of pride and stubbornness, resistance that would prove futile in the end. If they were foolish enough to keep denying Shinra, there wasn’t any question that a war would start, a war Wutai would undoubtedly lose due to their inferior technology and weaponry. 

For now, it was no concern of Rufus’. His current objective was getting to Hojo’s lab, a place that should be empty while Hojo was preoccupied with other matters. The scientist only allowed others to be in there when he was present, something about making sure everything was done properly.

The elevator dinged, the doors sliding open to reveal the 65th floor. Prior to coming here, Rufus had managed to disable the cameras inside. Currently, all that was being displayed on the screen monitor was frozen footage from hours ago. It wasn’t the best solution, but there shouldn’t be any problems considering Rufus wasn’t planning on stealing anything. Predictably, there wasn’t another soul in sight, something that would make his task a lot easier. Of course, there was the issue of unlocking the door. He supposed he could guess several combinations and hope one of them worked, but that would be time-consuming and could cause an alarm to go off, should he fail too many times. With a slight frown, Rufus glanced around. Besides some boxes and random materials, there wasn’t anything of- oh. Vents, several of them. There were two in the wall by the door, both of which looked big enough for him to fit into. For the first time, Rufus was grateful he was of such small stature. Crouching in front of the one closest to him, Rufus grasped the bars and pulled with all his strength, but it didn’t budge.

“Tsk, surely there has to be a screwdriver somewhere amidst this mess.” Rufus’ eyes fell onto what looked like one hidden underneath a ladder and several buckets. Counting his lucky blessings, he rushed over it and moved the boxes to the side before trying to pick the steel ladder, only to drop it almost immediately. It was much heavier than it looked, and Rufus doubted he could lift it using only his arms. He hefted the ladder onto his back, stretching as much as he could until he felt his fingers wrap around the screw driver. _Got you. I didn’t think it’d be so easy._ Smirking in satisfaction, Rufus drew back quick enough for the ladder to slip off his shoulders and suddenly, there was agonizing pain blazing up his leg. 

The pain racing up his leg made Rufus’ head swim, he just barely remembered to muffle his scream before it could ring out in the hallway. Panting, he managed to drag himself away from the ladder and place the boxes back where they belonged. “Fuck. That hurts,” Rufus growled out lowly, trying to pull himself together. Twisting his leg around proved to be painful, but not impossible; meaning it probably wasn’t broken. Exhaling a long breath, Rufus crawled back over to the vents and started unscrewing it. 

Once it was off, Rufus got in and took the screwdriver with him just in case. It never hurt to be prepared after all. 

Rufus wasn’t sure where the files were, exactly, but he guessed it was on the level above this one. That level didn’t have an elevator or staircase leading to it, the only way in was through the front door Rufus snuck around. 

After creeping through the vents and searching for the perfect place to drop down, Rufus saw something in what looked to be the center of the second floor of the lab. He pressed his face close to the opening and squinted, trying to make out what was in the large tube. _I’m too far to see it properly, but I can’t just drop out right here. It’s too far down._ Lips pressing downward in contemplation, Rufus realized the only way out was to look for a different vent, one not too far from this one. Of course, there was the possibility he would encounter a specimen of Hojo’s- or, Shiva forbid, several- that would be more than willing to tear him to pieces. It’s a necessary risk, he reassured himself. 

It didn’t take long to find another vent, one that was on the lower level but had ramps leading to the upper level Rufus had seen previously. Steeling himself, he opened the vent and emerged into the laboratory. He hadn’t been prepared for what he saw.

The small, square-shaped openings of the vents hadn’t been able to capture the horrid place well enough. There were testing tubes lined up along the walls, going far above Rufus and below him, filled with unidentifiable shapes and liquid. Peering over the edge, he was shocked to see even more of them. At the very bottom, there were cracked tubes. The things down there looked like monsters, things mutated beyond recognition. Chills rushed down his spine. _Were they humans at one point?_ Rufus shook his head violently. Now was not the time for this. He had wasted enough time getting in here as it was.

Rufus walked up the ramps, trying to ignore the strange shapes in many of the tubes and what their true origins might be. Was that thing on the platform just another failed monstrosity or something more important? If it was the former, Rufus was back to not knowing where to look at all. 

Stopping in front of said thing, Rufus was left staring at it in both awe and shock. The creature vaguely resembled a woman, with long hair, a round face and mounds on her chest akin to breasts. Her eyes glowed an unnatural purple, mouth fixed into a permanent smile. Tentacles sprouted out and around her, green like the rest of her skin. It looked alien.

His eyes wandered lower, landing on a plaque labeled ‘Jenova.’ _Jenova._ Rufus had heard the name mentioned over and over by nearly everyone in Shinra. Hushed whispers amongst Ghast and Hojo’s assistants, other employees high enough up the ladder to hold influence over the decision of what should be done with an extraterrestrial. Mindlessly, Rufus reached out his hand, aiming to place it on the glass encasing the figure before he caught himself. _What am I doing? Why do I feel as though it’s calling to me?_ He rubbed at his temples, trying to soothe the sudden headache. Groaning in mild discomfort, Rufus thought there might not have been anything here after all. All he got out of his exploration was a severe head-ache and an injured leg, but no additional information about Sephiroth or anything else. “This was all kinds of pointless,” he muttered dejectedly. 

“What a waste of time! Oh, I’m sure the other useless executives were glad to be there, but that’s because they don’t do anything except for mooch off the benefits of working for Shinra. But unlike those uneducated swine, I have more important things to do! What’s more-“ Before Rufus had fully processed the voice of who had stepped into the laboratory, he was already sprinting back to the vent. From the corner of his eye, he saw Hojo’s slumped over figure walking towards the platform he’d been on moments ago. Just as he was closing the distance between him and the vent, Rufus felt his leg give out. A loud _thud_ sounded out as his body made contact with the floor.

_Shit!_ He bit his lip hard enough to prevent a shriek from bursting out of his chest. Rufus cursed himself for being clumsy enough to let that ladder fall on him earlier. If he’d just been more careful- 

“Hmmm? Is there somebody else here?”

No. This wasn’t the time for that. Not when he could hear Hojo’s footsteps coming closer and closer. 

He bowed his head as much as he could, frantically looking for any place to hide. There had to be a box or a pile of rubble like the one outside. But there was nothing. Nothing, nothing, nothing at all. _I can’t let myself get caught now. If father finds out about this-_

“Hellooooo? I said, is anybody there?” 

_No,_ Rufus corrected himself. _There is a way out._ Sucking in a breath as quietly as he could, he pushed himself under the gap in the railing, heart coming into his throat as he fell before catching onto the metal railing of the floor underneath. Ignoring the pain blossoming in his rib cage from the impact against the platform, he tilted his head back to look at Hojo. He was inspecting the place Rufus had been only seconds earlier, his brows knitted together and mouth pulled down in a deep frown. 

“I could’ve sworn I heard something…” he muttered, turning away and retreating back to ‘Jenova.’ Rufus allowed himself to sigh in relief, managing to hoist himself up and slide under the railing. The good thing was he wasn’t in danger of being discovered anymore, but the bad was that he didn’t have a way out. In his panic to get away, he’d left behind the screwdriver and the door required a password to open, much like the one upstairs. _On the other hand…_

Rufus turned his head, surveying the multiple _other_ doors. Doors which no doubt led to whatever monstrosities Hojo spent millions of gil on. Every fiber in his body was telling him to wait for Hojo to leave, but he knew he didn’t have that luxury. It was just a matter of time until the other employees returned, and there was no guarantee Hojo wouldn’t stay here. Rufus pressed his lips together. No matter how much the thought of encountering experiments irked him, he didn’t have another option. 

Walking with a confidence he didn’t feel towards the nearest door- marked with a red number that made it seem even more foreboding- he mentally thanked the Shinra maintenance staff when it didn’t make a sound as it opened. Gliding through, Rufus felt his heart jump into his throat again. It was just him here, no father, no men or women in pressed black suits to protect him. He refused to name this feeling, even in his own head, but he hated it. Loathed it, even. _There’s no going back now. Stop being a coward and_ move. 

Rufus was in a small hallway, at the end of which there were two doors: one in the opposite wall and one to the left of it. Upon getting closer, he saw the one at the end had dents all over it, completely smashed in at some places and unable to open. The one at the left slid open easily. 

At first there didn’t appear to be anything unusual in the darkened room. For a moment, Rufus naively thought he could simply take a quick detour and be on his merry way out of this hellhole. 

How foolish of him.

His eyes adjusted to the darkness, and once they did, he wished they hadn’t. There were strange shapes moving around in cages, eyes glowing faintly. Strangely enough, though, they didn’t growl or make any noise. Some paced restlelessy in their confined space, but most were hunched over miserably. Their glimmering eyes barely flickering up to look at the person intruding upon them. Just like with Sephiroth, there came a violent -and unnecessary- pang of what Rufus assumed was sympathy. _Feeling sympathy for monsters. Foolish indeed._

Shaking his head as if it would clear his thoughts, he trudged onwards through the halls, discovering new kinds of horrid looking creatures along the way. A few of them had been violent, clawing relentlessly at the bars of their cages and growling deeply at him. Those sounds had ignited terror unlike anything he had experienced before, the blinding kind one only felt when they thought their lives were in danger. The kind which prevented a person from thinking logically, prevented them from realizing the ‘experiments’ couldn’t escape from their cages. Once Rufus realized that, the place didn’t seem so scary anymore. Instead, it just seemed sad. Other than the few making noise, most of them laid still as if defeated. Rufus thought the ones still fighting must’ve been new, not yet aware of how futile their efforts at escape were. 

He didn’t know how long he’d been wandering around. It couldn’t have been more than a few minutes, because there would’ve been others by now. But it felt like _hours_. It felt like if he stayed any longer, he’d be consumed by this place and its relentless despair. 

Passing through yet another door, (he’d lost track of just how many he gone through,) Rufus expected more of the dark shapes and glowing eyes slumped over helplessly in the dark, but he got something else instead.

This room was still dim, but bright compared to the previous ones. And it wasn’t silent.

Sobs were coming from somewhere. Hushed ones. Had Rufus not been so alert, he might’ve missed them entirely.

As silently as he could, he ventured further in. The room looked similar to the others, but the cages were replaced with a flat, white carpet, a small wooden table, an arm chair and a wooden chair in the corner. Further off to the side, he saw a smaller room connected to it, the place where the sobs sounded they were coming from. 

Rufus crept closer, the sound of sniffles and harsh breathing increasing in volume. Once he rounded the corner, he stopped dead in his tracks. There on the floor sat Sephiroth with his face buried in his knees, hands grasping at his silver hair. Bandages covered his shins and arms, disappearing beneath the fabric of his shorts and t-shirt. He looked so helpless there, every bit the nine year-old everyone forgot he was.

Before he could register what he was doing, Rufus’ mouth was moving and causing words to spill out without his permission. 

“Sephiroth? Why are you crying?” At the sound of his voice, the child sat straight up, snake-eyes tearful and full of panic, as if he’d been caught doing something he wasn’t supposed to.

“I-I’m not!” The boy scrambled to his feet, no doubt trying to look intimidating by drawing himself up to his full height, though it was undermined by him being several inches shorter than Rufus. Rufus felt that strange mixture of sympathy and pity curl in his gut again while he watched Sephiroth attempt to pull himself together. In a way, it almost reminded him of himself when he’d been younger and his father had walked in on him crying. He remembered the fear of disappointing his father, of getting called weak, worthless. _Sephiroth must feel the same way._

“Is it because of what’s under the bandages?” His voice had gone so quiet and tender that it shocked even him, but he tried to keep the surprise off his face. He knew it wouldn’t look very reassuring.

Sephiroth stared at the floor, fists clenched at his side while his lower lip wobbled. “O-of course n-not. I’m f-fine, so just l-leave!” His whole body was starting to spasm, bordering on the verge of going into hysterics. Sephiroth backed up against the wall, hands settling back over his face like a shield. Rufus knew words weren’t going to get him anywhere, since Sephiroth was unwilling to admit anything was wrong even when there wasn’t any point in telling such an obvious lie. So he did the only thing he could think of.

He wrapped his arms around him. 

For a moment, Sephiroth stilled. But then he was immediately thrashing against his hold and Rufus had to use all his strength to keep him in his grasp

“What are you doing?! Let go of me!” His mouth was right next to Rufus’ ear, and he grimaced at the loud noise next to his ear. Despite that, he held onto him. He knew this was instinctual, must’ve been ingrained into him by Hojo that affection and crying were for weaklings; like his own father had taught him. So he squeezed him harder until Sephiroth squeaked out in pain, allowing him a few blessed seconds of silence.

“You’re allowed to cry, Sephiroth. It doesn’t mean you’re weak.”

“Yes it does!”

“No. Sometimes being strong means accepting help from other people when you can’t take it anymore.” At his words, Sephiroth finally stopped struggling. Sephiroth looked into his eyes, mouth slightly agape, tears and snot running down his face. Then, suddenly he slumped against him, burying his head in Rufus’ shoulder and bunching up the fabric of his shirt while he let out hopeless sobs and hiccups. 

“Shhh, I’ve got you,” Rufus combed his fingers gently through the child’s hair, distantly marveling at how soft it was. “You can let it all out. I promise I won’t tell anybody.” 

As Rufus sat on the cold floor, knees undoubtedly bruising, a thought popped into his head. This child was already turning out to be a soldier stronger than even most adults were, and he was only nine. There was no doubt left in Rufus’ mind that he was also getting experimented on, being made stronger by whatever chemicals Hojo pumped into him. Eventually, he’d grow up and get even more powerful, maybe even to the point of being physically unstoppable. To boot, he was intelligent. Making him someone who excels in combat as well as strategies and tactics. But it seemed his emotions were a weak point, possibly his only one. That and he didn’t have anyone to rely on. Both parents were out of the picture and no siblings to speak of. Hojo certainly wasn’t providing him with emotional stability either. _If I become the one he confides in, I can control him. He’ll listen to me and no one else._ The corners of Rufus’ mouth started pulling up, turning into a smirk he was grateful Sephiroth couldn’t see. _He’ll be my weapon. Mine and only mine._

“This will be our secret.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sephiroth goes to jazz club. It does not go as expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2. I can’t believe I’m actually consistently working on a story for once. And that I’ve got the entire plot worked out. Probably the first time I’m not winging it. ;-;

“Angeal, don’t you think we should make this harder for Sephiroth? He keeps winning,” Genesis all but whined. 

“Then that means we have to try more, right?” Angeal replied with a broad smile. “Besides, you know that if we make it more challenging we’ll have to do it too, right?”

“Yeah, yeah. I was planning on doing that. Not like it’d be much of a challenge for me anyway,” Genesis lifted his head indignantly and placed his arms across his chest.

“Perhaps you should focus on doing the easier things correctly before saying things like that.” Sephiroth jumped down from the ship mast, his lips slightly upturned as he landed with barely a sound. Genesis had a tendency to think himself above others without much of a reason, and it seemed the duty of keeping his ego in check befell Angeal and Sephiroth. 

Genesis merely huffed, looking over the simulated ship as though it could provide him with the answers to life’s secrets. “We both know I’d just be doing you a favor. You get bored so easily.” He paused, then said quieter, “a day will come when you’ll get bored of us too.” There was a sharpness to his voice, one Sephiroth was sure was hurt. While Genesis wasn’t wrong about his short-lived interest in many things, Sephiroth never tired of spending time with him and Angeal even with all their faults. He supposed it could’ve simply been because he felt they were the only ones who could understand him, or maybe it was that he knew they didn’t view him as a tool or weapon. Whatever the reason was, he remained drawn to them after the three years he’d known them; if he had any say in it, he’d prefer things stayed exactly the way they were.

“All of us know that isn’t true. You’re just a sore loser,” Angeal let out an exaggeratingly long sigh while Genesis shrieked, immediately starting to go on about only wanting a fair competition for once. Sephiroth chuckled to himself, amused at Genesis’ theatrics. He really could’ve been an actor, Sephiroth mused. Quite a good one at that.

“Okay, so how about we keep trying to shoot apples off each other’s heads, but this time we do it with lighting materia instead? And from some weirder positions?” Genesis asked. Sephiroth pondered it for a moment, before nodding his head in agreement.

“That’s a good idea. Provided we haven’t run out of apples, of course.” 

“We still have plenty!” Genesis grinned, gesturing in the direction of the half-full bucket of apples by the bottom of the mast. 

“I’m not so sure. What if one of us misses? Lighting materia _is_ more dangerous than wind materia,” Angeal frowned. 

“If you don’t want to do it, then me and Sephiroth could give it a go. You could just, I dunno, stand off to the side and heal us if we screw up. Not that it'll happen,” Genesis shrugged, already picking up an apple and tossing it to Sephiroth. “I’ll shoot first, and I’ll stay right here so find a good spot.” 

“Think you can get me if I stand in the crow’s nest?” Sephiroth asked, putting the apple in his mouth while climbing up the rope ladder.

“What kind of question is that? Of course I can.” Genesis moved backwards several steps, conjuring a thunder as Sephiroth settled and balanced the apple on his head.

“I’m still unsure of whether this is a good idea. You could really hurt-“

“You need to have more faith in me Angeal. It’ll be fine.” Genesis closed one eye, keeping the thunder controlled by his fingertips before he fired it. Sephiroth found himself almost hoping he would miss just so he wouldn’t have bits of apple clumping his hair together. Then again, if he didn’t hit his mark, he’d just demand a rematch. Sephiroth resigned himself to his fate of sticky hair when the bolt went directly through the center of the apple, causing apple juice to leak as it exploded into bits. “You see? And not a single, glorious hair was harmed. Well, unless you count the apple juice. But it’s nothing that can’t be fixed with a shower.” Genesis said triumphantly, placing his hands on his hips and puffing his chest out.

Angeal tsked in disapproval, but wisely chose not to comment on his words. Instead, he turned towards Sephiroth, who already stood in front of him with a displeased expression as he combed his fingers through his hair. “Do you want to get back at him, or can we call it a day?” Sephiroth first looked at his hands, sticky with apple guts, then at Genesis’ hair, also stained with apple guts. 

“I think it’s enough.” At Genesis’ self-satisfied grin, Sephiroth tacked on, “Besides, judging from how he looks, I think I’ve won anyway.”

“Hey-“

“Great, because I’m bone-tired,” Angeal sighed as the simulation dissolved, leaving the three of them standing in the middle of a Shinra training room. “Do you guys want to go back together, or do either of you have somewhere to be?” 

“Well,” Genesis started when they walked out into the hallway towards the elevator. “I was thinking we could use some nice R&R, if you know what I mean.” 

“Neither me nor Angeal want to be in the company of prostitutes. I thought we went over this.” Sephiroth remembered all the other times Genesis had made a suggestion for the three of them to ‘relax,’ and they’d all started off in excruciatingly loud clubs that ended in Genesis hiring prostitutes or picking out girls from whichever place they’d frequented. The previous time was something he recalled in vivid detail, most likely due to having to pry off a particularly clingy woman who didn’t know what ‘no’ meant, in addition to getting a lengthy lecture from Lazard about the fragility of their reputations. It was not an experience he wanted to go through again.

“I know, I don’t Lazard to tell us off again. Even though it’s stupid. I mean, we’re guys, we have needs.”

“Then what did you have in mind?”

“A club. A _jazz_ club.” At the confused looks he received from his two companions, Genesis continued. “It’s this cool place under the plate in Sector 4, its name is Club Rose. I haven’t ever been there, but some friends of mine said it was great.”

Sephiroth scoffed. “What friends? You don’t have any besides us.”

“How would we even get under the plate without being recognized? Our faces are plastered everywhere recently.” 

“We’ll just wear disguises. The security and conductors would be hush-hush about it if we told them too, and no one else should recognize us if we wear hats.” Genesis threw an arm around both of their shoulders, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “It’ll be relaxing.” _If it’s just a jazz club, then it should be fine. People don’t pay much attention to who’s walking beside them, so we won’t be swarmed if we get dressed adequately._

“Very well. When do we leave?” Sephiroth asked.

“At 9:00. Perfect amount of time for us to eat dinner, get showered and get changed.” Genesis replied. “We can do all that stuff at my apartment since it’s the closest and so we don’t take too long.”

“We need to get a change of clothing from our apartments though.” Angeal pointed out. 

“Nah, we’re all around the same size. I’ve got some baggier things too, just in case.” 

“I’m getting a shower first.The sensation of my hair clumping together is not one I care for,” Sephiroth muttered, tugging at the strands in an effort to separate them once more. 

“Alright princess, whatever you say,” Genesis laughed.

—

The sound of the singer’s voice flowed through the room like honey, accompanied by the soft melody of the saxophone and piano. Sephiroth wasn’t paying attention to the lyrics, but the song only added to the pleasant atmosphere of the jazz club. Despite it being located in the Sector 4 slums, the place was surprisingly classy. 

Red armchairs, couches and oak tables were arranged in a semi-circle around the stage for the performers, a bar located by the entrance which served decent alcohol. Nothing high-class, but nothing like the cheap booze he was expecting. The lighting was dim, only allowing a person to see the silhouettes of those around them. Sephiroth suspected another reason for it was to cover up any shady business people might come to do here, because although the place was clean enough, he could see some couches tucked more into the shadows than the others. When they’d come in, they’d been directed towards the area closer to the center of the room closer to the stage. Sephiroth didn’t think much of it, neither had Genesis or Angeal. It was unlikely there would be trouble, and if there was, it wasn’t anything they couldn’t handle. It was, however, good to be aware of one’s surroundings. And it was preferable to know all the exits should the need arise to flee. None of them wanted to draw unnecessary attention to themselves on what was supposed to be a relaxing night out.

“I’m surprised Genesis. I didn’t think you were capable of choosing a tasteful place,” Angeal hummed, looking around the club approvingly. 

“And once again, you underestimate me, my friend.” Genesis sagged further against the couch, pillowing his head against his folded arms, closing his eyes in content. “To be honest though, this is my first time here too. I just heard some of the newer recruits talkin’ about it and decided it might be worth checking out.” He opened one eye, a shadow of a smile on his lips. “Obviously, I wasn’t wrong.”

“Hmm, quite the rare occasion.” Sephiroth agreed, tugging his black cap further over his silver hair. Currently, it was in a tight bun under it, but Sephiroth felt like it might spring out at any moment, unfurling to its full length. It would be quite the dramatic sight, he imagined. As well as an obvious sign of who he was.

“Excuse me?” Genesis mock gasped. “How you hurt me so…” He sighed dramatically, one hand clutching the fabric of his loose red hoodie over his heart.

“Not now, you two. I’m trying to enjoy the music.”

“And get drunk.” Angeal gave him an annoyed look over the rim of the glass he was sipping out of.

“None of us can get drunk from this little. Nor should we drink more than what we’ve already gotten.” Genesis scoffed, swirling the whiskey in his glass.

“Fine, but are you sure we couldn’t just-“ Sephiroth tuned out the sound of their voices, choosing to focus on the new singer that had just taken the stage. Her voice was just as soothing, and accompanied by a trumpet in addition to the piano and saxophone. 

Many of the silhouettes he could see were doing the same as they were, simply enjoying the music while sipping on a beverage. He could just ignore everyone else around them and tune back into the conversation Angeal and Genesis were having- were they arguing over whether penguins were birds or mammals?- but something in his gut told him he’d missed something important. Or perhaps, some _one_. 

With a frown, Sephiroth focused on the parts of the club obscured in shadow, using his enhanced vision to see better. 

Unsurprisingly, many of the figures had their heads covered, all but confirming his earlier suspicions of people coming here to do shady dealings that would never fly in the daylight. He supposed he could see the appeal in hiding in a place like this; it is much more pleasant to discuss unpleasant business over a drink indoors. 

There didn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary this time either, and Sephiroth was starting to wonder if it was his vision or his gut that was wrong- until he saw a flash of light hair under a dark hood. That in of itself wouldn’t be anything that warranted suspicion, but the voice coming out of the man’s mouth was. The deep, smooth timbre wasn’t a sound Sephiroth could forget because of how often it was on the news. Recently, Rufus Shinra had been given the position of Vice President after the previous one had died in an accident- not that he believed that. Anyone with half a brain would realize the man must’ve done something to warrant the President’s wrath, and had simply caused the younger Shinra to be granted the title sooner than expected. 

After he’d been appointed, his face was painted on the TV screens, newspapers, gossip blogs, any media possible. All of them were talking about the party being held to celebrate his newly acquired title in three days. A good deal of celebrities and politicians were planning on coming as well- it would be a security nightmare. The president was clearly taking advantage of his son’s charisma and using him to give speeches in his stead- provided they weren’t something of utmost import- undoubtedly thinking people were more likely to listen to a charismatic young man than his older father. He wasn’t wrong, either, if the overwhelming amount of fans Rufus had garnered were to be believed.

However, Sephiroth had been present for the meeting after he had received his title, and he remembered the orders the president had given. Rufus Shinra was to be supervised at all times, and not to be let out of Sector 0 unless it was for business during which he was closely guarded. It was the result of his failed attempt at dethroning his father, and a way for the president to punish him without locking Rufus up and losing all the benefits that came with having him at the ready. 

Obviously the men who were supposed to be keeping watch over him were failing miserably. 

Suddenly, Sephiroth found himself staring into the man’s eyes. He only held his stare for a short time, but even from this far away he could feel their intensity. _It almost feels as though he’s challenging me._ Then just as suddenly as he’d looked up, Rufus went back to talking to the man opposite him. Sephiroth strained to pick up on what they were saying, but he felt someone throw an arm around his shoulders quite roughly.

“What do ya think? Ya’ve been very quiet this entire time,” Genesis’ words slurred together slightly, and there was a faint dusting of pink on his cheeks. Judging from his appearance and Angeal’s annoyed frown, the man was drunk. Shaking his head, Sephiroth glanced back to where Rufus had been, only to find him gone. “Hellooooo. What’s goin’ on in tha head of yours?” The lights caught on something, making it shine gold for a brief moment before it was gone again. 

Angeal’s eyebrows were furrowed, his frown changing into one of concern. “Really Seph, are you alright?” Sephiroth saw Rufus by the door, his hood removed as he pushed the door open, pausing, then leaving. His lips twitched upwards. He’d been expecting an evening of relaxation, but it hadn’t been as rejuvenating as he’d thought would be. Maybe a rush of adrenaline would do him more good than sitting still for hours on end. 

“I’m fine. You two can go back without me, I’ll meet up with you later.” Sephiroth pushed off Genesis’ arm and stood up in one fluent motion, getting to the door mere seconds after Rufus had disappeared. 

The cold air hit his face, a refreshing contrast to the increasing temperature of the jazz club. The smell that came along with it was not. It was the main reason Sephiroth tried to avoid coming to the slums; the whole place smelled like a garbage dump, which he supposed wasn’t far from what it actually was, but that didn’t make it anymore pleasant. 

He stepped out further, getting away from the door and closer towards a large, open area- though still no Rufus. _Is it possible I saw him go out a separate door? Or am I too late? No, it can’t be. There was only one door and he didn’t have enough time to leave, so he must still be around here somewhere._

Sephiroth walked towards one of the dumpsters, half-set on rearranging all the objects strewn around until he found some sort of hint as to where the Vice President was, until he heard a gunshot go off. 

His eyes widened slightly as the bullet whizzed right past his head, then he was spinning on his heels to face his assailant. Before they could realize what was happening, Sephiroth had gotten close enough to crush the gun in his hand and pin the person to the dirty concrete. In the process, their hood fell down, revealing-

“Rufus Shinra?” There was no need to ask, the man’s identity was unmistakable, even with the filth covering his face from their brief scuffle.

“Yes, General. Now, kindly get off. This isn’t a comfortable position to be in,” the man said blithely, tugging on his wrists lodged in Sephiroth’s grip. 

“My apologies. This could’ve been avoided if you hadn’t shot at me, sir,” Sephiroth released him, watching as he stood and brushed himself off.

“It was just for some excitement. Things have been so dreadfully boring ever since my father assigned me babysitters.” He tilted his head up to look at Sephiroth, eyes crinkling slightly as a slow smile spread across his face. “Besides, I knew you wouldn’t die so easily.” 

Unsure how to reply, Sephiroth stated, “I have to take you back to the tower. You aren’t supposed to be going anywhere on your own, sir.” As suddenly as the smile had appeared, it vanished. Instead there was a look of annoyance, and perhaps disappointment.

“Of course.” Rufus clicked his tongue. “Momentarily I had forgotten you were just another tool of my father’s.” 

_Tool?_ Sephiroth thought acridly. _I am no one’s tool, much less one belonging to that useless man._

Instead of voicing his thoughts, Sephiroth kept his mouth closed, motioning for Rufus to follow him. When Rufus looked at him questioningly, he gritted out, “we have to pass through a great deal of the slums before we reach the train station. It is better you stay behind me in case we run into criminals.”

“You think I don’t know the way back and that I can’t defend myself?” 

“I know you are painting yourself as a target just by being here. The best way to ensure you don’t get harmed is if you use me as a shield.”

“I got here on my own, did you forget?” Rufus asked, the bit of tension around his eyes the only sign of his annoyance.

“And I’m unsure how you managed in the first place,” Sephiroth said unfazed. Neither of them said anything more for a while, glaring at each other, daring the other to relent. With a huff, Rufus crossed his arms and jerked his head to the side, displeasure written across his features. 

“Then I assume you’re aware of how to get to the train station, correct?” 

Sephiroth nodded. “Of course, sir. This way.”

Walking alongside Rufus wasn’t as horrible as he had expected it to be. Rufus was silent most of the time, looking more interested in observing the scrap-constructed buildings and the lights than in talking to Sephiroth. Those buildings were made by materials that could come crashing down at any moment; poorly-constructed and cheap like everything else in the slums. Hence why it was surprising when he finally spoke.

“Do you think the people here live good lives?” Rufus’ sharp blue eyes were focused on him again, trying to read Sephiroth’s expression while the man pondered the question.

“It would depend on what your definition of a ‘good life’ is. People here struggle to make money, and often that’s what makes them unhappy. It tears their family apart because they don’t have enough for themselves, let alone children.” Sephiroth paused. Thinking about it now, it was quite extraordinary that people managed to live here at all, let alone take joy in anything. Then he remembered all the times he’d seen the residents conversing, helping with any problems their neighbors had. “But, I can’t say it’s all miserable. People have a sense of community here that those on the plate lack. Oftentimes, they look happier.”

Rufus turned away from him, gazing in the direction of a small girl and a woman hugging while laughing, their cheeks stained pink from the winter breeze. Sephiroth felt his heart clench painfully, a sharp feeling of longing shooting through his body. When he looked at him again, Rufus’ expression had suddenly become unreadable.

“I see.” There was a figure coming closer to the pair, someone who Sephiroth assumed to be the girl’s father. Once again he struggled with keeping the emotion off his face. _How lucky this girl is to have parents who care about her. She’s lucky she even knows who they are._ Sephiroth yearned for the comfort of family; for a mother’s tender touch, a father’s guiding hand and pride. The last time he remembered receiving anything resembling affection was years ago before he got sent to fight in Wutai. There’d been a boy who had hugged him, told him it was okay to cry. No matter how much he tried, he couldn’t remember his face, only that he’d smelled like lavender and vanilla. He caught himself thinking of that boy, wondering what had happened to him, longing to see him again. He knew how unreasonable it was to get so attached to a stranger he met once years ago, but that never stopped the thoughts from rearing their ugly heads on his worst days.

Despite the twisted knot in his stomach, he turned his head towards the father, mother and daughter still out on the porch. 

The man had a gun out. 

Rufus must’ve seen the same thing he had because he was running to them, Sephiroth not far behind. 

Sephiroth went directly for the man, quickly disarming him and throwing him to the floor. Distantly he registered the feeling of his cap coming off, but he was preoccupied with fixing the miserable man a loathsome glare.

“What did you think you were doing?” Sephiroth’s voice came out low, barely above a growl. The man was trembling now, staring up at him in fear.

“G-general Sephiroth. I-I didn’t mean any harm to come-“ Sephiroth yanked him up by his collar and pushed him against the wall. He didn’t care for the lies he knew the man was about to tell.

“Spare your breath. You were intending to murder them, weren’t you?” The man blubbered, holding his hands out as if they would protect him. “Weren’t you?” Sephiroth hit him against the metal again, voice dropping even lower.

“T-that whore took all my money and property! You have to understand sir I had a good reason!” The man sobbed hysterically, voice tapering off at the end when Sephiroth pulled on his collar harder, cutting off his oxygen.

“You had no such thing, you worthless scumbag.” Sephiroth placed a hand around the man’s throat, ready to kill him- until he felt a tug on his sleeve. 

“Please don’t harm him. We’ve just recently decided to go our separate ways, and he’s not taking it well.” He glanced down to see a thin hand clutching him, one that belonged to the woman. Her eyes were filled with unshed tears, lower lip quivering slightly. Sephiroth could tell she was afraid, and even still she clung to him. The haze cleared from his vision and he dropped the man to the floor. As the woman ran to comfort him, Sephiroth saw the girl cuddled in Rufus’ arms, her face pressed into his jacket. Rufus stroked her hair comfortingly, whispering something in her ears to soothe her. 

“General, thank you for saving our lives, but I have to ask you and your companion to leave.” The woman’s timid voice came from behind him, the sobbing man crying out barely coherent apologies. 

“He tried to kill you. Don’t you want to see him locked away?” Sephiroth demanded coldly. 

The woman shook her head, watching her ex-husband shake like a new-born. “No. We will deal with this ourselves, like we always have. Like we should continue to do.” Sephiroth opened his mouth to protest, before Rufus cut him off.

“She’s right. This matter is not our’s to meddle with.” Rufus gently nudged the girl away from him so he could stand up, a barely visible frown on his lips. “Go to your mother. It’s okay now,” he murmured to the girl. After a moment’s hesitation, she trudged towards her parents, reluctance visible in every step. 

“Do you really think it wise to leave them with the man who just tried to kill them?” 

“We will leave them be. Sometimes people need to make the wrong decisions in order to realize their naivety,” Rufus remarked coldly, turning his back on the scene. Sephiroth stared after him in disbelief. One moment he was comforting a child and the next he was leaving innocents alone with a man who had previously been set on killing them.

“That is not a wise de-“

“We will leave them be.” Rufus stated, his icy blue eyes fixed on Sephiroth’s. He could tell this was an order, not a request. Even still, there was rage boiling in his veins at the injustice of it. He pushed down the feeling. There wasn’t any point in such emotions, especially when he couldn’t do anything to satisfy them. Of course he could go and kill the man now, but if he did, Rufus would find a way to punish him for disobedience. And so, he forced his face into a mask of indifference and followed Rufus to the train station, teeth gritted the entire way.

— 

Sephiroth collapsed into his bed, throwing his arm over his face, mentally drained from the events of tonight. Rufus Shinra was a man he couldn’t get a read on. He’d thought he was just another rich bachelor who cared more about sex, drugs and partying than his future, but that couldn’t have been farther from the truth.

When he’d dragged Rufus to his father, the president had sighed and dismissed him to his room, telling him he had ensured the Turks would not let him out of their sight again at the penalty of losing their jobs. Rufus, in response, had stared at his father in bemusement before sweeping out of the office as if he hadn’t gotten lectured and grounded like a toddler. 

Sephiroth didn’t think he had enough alcohol to be drunk, but he was starting to think he’d been wrong. His ceiling was spinning and his head was pounding. With a long exhale, he allowed his eyes to finally slip shut and fall into a deep, dreamless sleep.

  
  
  



	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sephiroth pays Rufus a visit. Rufus does not like roses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally, I wasn’t planning to include the scene of Sephiroth, Genesis and Angeal talking in the previous chapter. But then, my brain decided it wanted to give Rufus a rose allergy. This whole fic is just me indulging my desire for more Rufus Shinra and Sephiroth content. Mostly Rufus though.

After getting out of bed 30 minutes later than usual, Sephiroth had gotten a quick shower and immediately made his way towards Rufus’ penthouse. Sephiroth currently stood in front of the steel sliding doors, which would open once he made his presence known to the people on the other side- although he was sure the Turks that were undoubtedly inside already knew, they were simply waiting for him to press the buzzer in order to preserve some sense of courtesy- but he pondered on why he was even needed here. 

The previous night, after Rufus had been escorted back to his penthouse on the 56th floor, the president had given him the assignment of watching over Rufus up to and until the party. He had said it was because Sephiroth was the only one capable of locating and returning him, should he attempt to sneak out again. President Shinra had quickly added that he had full faith in Sephiroth and his ability to keep his son in line, but that he should be prepared to chase after him. _‘After all, that boy tried to kill me, and almost succeeded. He is a schemer, and I will take no risks when it comes to keeping him contained.’_ Sephiroth had wanted to ask him why he had let Rufus live at all, but had kept his mouth shut. He was aware it wasn’t his place to question the president’s orders to his face, no matter how nonsensical he thought them to be.

So instead of wasting any more time, he pressed the buzzer. There was no point in delaying the inevitable, after all. 

Almost immediately, the doors opened- all but confirming he was being spied on for the entirety of the time he’d been there. The first person he saw was a man only a couple inches shorter than himself. His hair was tied into a mid-length ponytail, and his face had features that were clearly Wutain. Sephiroth had seen the man before, recognized him as second in command of the Turks, but couldn’t remember his name. He had found it curious Shinra would employ a Wutain, even with the war nearly being a guaranteed victory for Shinra.

“General. The vice president is currently in the gym. We were not aware you would come this early.” The man said monotonously, if slightly nasally. Upon closer inspection, Sephiroth could see his nose was light pink. 

“I don’t mind. Although I’m sure the president has informed him about this, I would like to discuss it personally with him. That way, it will be easier for me to do my job and give him a better idea of how much freedom he’ll have.” The Turk remained silent for a moment before he nodded, motioning Sephiroth to follow him.

The penthouse had a minimalistic style and a monochrome color palette; the furniture, walls and floor were black or white, making the area look even bigger than it was. Light poured in from the floor to ceiling windows, illuminating the black tiled floor so it sparkled. Everything was remarkably clean, not a single speck of dust or dirt to be found. It looked like something out of a magazine- beautiful and impersonal. Sephiroth thought it matched its owner to the last detail. 

“Through here.” They had stopped in front of another black door. Sephiroth could faintly hear the clinking of weights beyond it. 

Upon entering, Sephiroth was greeted with the sight of a shirtless, sweating Rufus. He was laying under the cage machine, bench-pressing what looked to be a total of 240 pounds. Sweat glistened on his tan skin as he clenched his teeth in effort, muscles working to lift the weight. Sephiroth couldn’t help but be impressed by his strength, especially considering Rufus’ slim build. He wondered if Rufus was training in order to maintain his appearance, or if it was to improve his performance in a fight. Sephiroth remembered the speed with which Rufus had moved last night. He had to have put in time for that; Sephiroth knew from experience. _Which begs the question: why would the son of the most powerful man on Gaia need to learn how to defend himself when he has so many people to fight for him?_

Rufus finally noticed the two men standing across the room, setting down the barbell and taking the earbuds out. He stood with easy grace, a charming smile on his face. 

“What a pleasant surprise to see- _achoo._ ” Rufus suddenly sneezed into his elbow, looking as bewildered as Sephiroth felt when they continued. Rufus was only standing two feet away from him at this point, sneezing continuously. The Turk rushed to Rufus’ side, asking him what was wrong repeatedly with a slightly worried expression. 

“Sir, are you alright?” Sephiroth, at a loss for what to do, came closer with his hand outstretched, only for Rufus’ to start coughing in addition to sneezing. To add to it, his eyes were turning red and puffy. _What’s wrong with him? Is he sick as well? Or allergic to something?_

The Turk put his hand out to prevent Sephiroth from moving forward. “General, have you used any rose-scented products recently?” 

“I took a shower before coming here. My shampoo has hints of rose in it.“

“Then I must politely ask you to leave, immediately.” Rufus rushed out of the room, cursing roses and their very existence between coughs and sneezes. The Turk turned away and followed after him, barely glancing back at him as he said, “I will come by your quarters after the vice president has given me further orders on what to do.” 

Sephiroth was left standing in the gym, staring after the pair with widened eyes. There was never any mention of Rufus Shinra being allergic to anything. He supposed that could’ve been in order to prevent assassins from using that against him, but if the Turks knew about, surely SOLDIER should as well. He shook his head and walked out of Rufus’ penthouse, deciding to use the SOLDIER gym for a while. By the time he was done, that Turk would have already left instructions by his door.

__

Rufus was bent over the sink, taking in deep breaths while Tseng stood barely a foot away from him. Rufus had told him years ago to never touch him unless his life was in danger, and Tseng listened. That didn’t prevent him from hovering like an overprotective mother. He did suppose it was a Turk’s job to make sure he was in good health, but that didn’t make them any more tolerable.

“I apologize for letting the general in, sir. I couldn’t smell anything,” Tseng hung his head in shame, avoiding making direct eye contact with him.

“Which is why I told you to let Reno guard me instead while you rested.” Rufus straightened himself back up. Now that Sephiroth was gone, the sneezing and coughing had stopped. He glanced at his reflection from the corner of his eye, wincing slightly at the sight of his reddened face and puffy eyes.

“Last night, you had managed to slip away from him. I wasn’t willing to have that event repeat itself.”

“And yet, it seems I fared worse with you than I did with Reno. Or even when I was alone.” Tseng was a master at controlling his facial expressions, but Rufus had spent far too much time around the man. He could see the tension around his mouth, the way his eyebrows dipped just barely. Rufus didn’t particularly care about what had happened- had already found a way to make it work in his favor, in fact- but seeing Tseng’s feathers ruffled so thoroughly had him struggling to keep his laughter under control. 

“Yes sir. I apologize. It will not happen again.” Rufus hummed.

“I hope it won’t. For your sake.” Although father didn’t hold much love for him, he would never complain about one Turk going ‘missing,’ if he had displeased his son. Rufus wouldn’t kill Tseng, of course. He found he somewhat enjoyed him and his silent presence, but Tseng didn’t need to be aware of that. “However, I do need to deliver the new shampoo Sephiroth will be using. It wouldn’t do for that to happen again while he’s guarding me, after all.”

Tseng frowned. “I could deliver it in your stead. There is no need for you to go.”

Rufus walked outside of the bathroom and to the linen closet right next to it. He skimmed the contents of it, replying absentmindedly, “I have business to take care of there.” He crouched, thinking the shampoo must be on the bottom shelf.

“What business could you possibly have in a SOLDIER’s private quarters, sir?” Tseng asked, a note of disapproval in his voice. Rufus wondered why he even bothered to pretend that he didn’t know of Rufus’ intentions. _Perhaps he hopes I’ll prove him wrong one day._ Rufus chuckled silently at the absurd idea. _He shouldn’t hold his breath. Elsewise, he might suffocate._

“That,” Rufus moved a couple bottles of scented oils and body lotion out of the way, “is no concern of yours, as it does not involve me risking my life.” Once he found what he was looking for, he allowed himself a triumphant smile.

“You are invading a man’s privacy-“

“He is my property, just like everything in Shinra. I will do with him what I please,” Rufus narrowed his eyes at Tseng, “don’t forget, Tseng. I own you, too.” Rufus spun on his heel, ignoring the way Tseng’s hands turned into fists at his side. He pulled on a white shirt and sneakers, sweeping out of the apartment without so much as a backward look at the other man.

Sephiroth’s quarters were located on the 48th floor, along with the other 1st class SOLDIERs. It was quite convenient how they had nameplates on their doors rather than numbers, Rufus thought as he tested the doorknob. Rufus had been prepared to try lock-picking it, but it had surprisingly opened right away.

Rufus didn’t know what he’d expected the ‘One-Winged Angel’s’ home to look like, but he hadn’t thought it would be so… ordinary. 

The place looked exactly how it must have looked when Sephiroth had gotten it. The walls were still white, the floor still metal with faux fur carpets covering it. Rufus set down the bottles of conditioner and shampoo down on the table by the door, choosing to at least take off his shoes before romping through the apartment. 

Rufus decided there was nothing of import in the living area, kitchen or dining room, and beeline it for the bedroom. Sephiroth seemed minimalistic and impersonal- something Rufus could appreciate- but surely even he had to have something interesting in the most intimate room of the house. Rufus was just hoping Sephiroth didn’t have the same kind of ‘personal’ things he did.

On the surface, Sephiroth’s bedroom was just as unremarkable as the rest of the house. His bed was neatly made, the smell of fresh air and smoke permeated the room through the open window. Rufus regarded the bed warily. Even with the open window, there was a chance the smell of roses still lingered on the pillows. 

Waving aside the possibility, Rufus went to the desk situated by the window. The desk was clear, so he opened one of the drawers. Inside- curiously enough- were papers documenting some of the experiments Sephiroth had gone through and their effects. They had to be copies, perhaps even altered versions; Hojo wouldn’t let go of the records he had on his most successful lab rat, nor would he let Sephiroth know the full truth of how he’d been created.

Several years after he’d snuck into Hojo’s lab, Rufus and his father had briefly stayed in the old Shinra manor while the mako reactor in Nibelheim had been getting ‘repaired’. Rufus never saw that any part of the reactor was damaged, and when he’d asked his father, his questions had been waved away. Rufus had only been dragged along for the sake of appearing on the news, and wasn’t privy to the real reason why they had to go in the first place. 

Originally- before he’d seen that the town was populated by small-minded, subservient people- Rufus was planning on going into the town to find anyone who might be anti-Shinra. That had also been before Rufus attempted to kill his father on his own.

But since that plan had gone down the drain, he suddenly had an abundance of spare time.

The Turk assigned to him- some man whose name he’d never bothered to learn or seen since then- had allowed him free reign over the house. So he’d started exploring the place, Darkstar as his only companion.

On the first day, there was nothing of note. The top floors were filled with dusty, empty bedrooms and other rooms that served no other purpose except to provide another unnecessary lounge area. Rufus was sure there hadn’t ever been a time where all the space was needed. 

The second day, Rufus had taken Darkstar on a walk around the grounds then settled to read a book under the shade of a tree. The only discovery he made that day was that Darkstar thought dead woodland animals made for sufficient gifts.

The third day was when he ventured into the basement.

At first, he thought the basement had been filled when his family and the Shinra scientists moved out of the manor. He was proven wrong when Darkstar discovered the secret entrance by ramming into a bookcase. Rufus watched curiously as the old bookcase creaked open, showing stairs leading further down. There was barely a moment of hesitation before Rufus went down, reassured by the knowledge that Darkstar would rip apart anything that might try to harm him.

The sight he was greeted with was quite curious indeed. Or perhaps not, considering what he knew about his father and Hojo.

It looked like just a normal library. A messy, dusty one but normal-looking all the same. 

Rufus realized that couldn’t possibly be further from the truth.

The books were filled with hand-writing Rufus recognized as Hojo’s due to it being barely legible. They described Project S in excruciating detail up until age 11. If Rufus remembered correctly, that was around the time Sephiroth had been sent to fight in the Wutai War. 

Hojo wrote about injecting Jenova cells into Sephiroth when he was still a fetus, citing that as the reason why he turned out so ‘perfect.’ He had also described Jenova as an alien that Shinra had initially mistaken for an ancient, and that it had been moved from the Shinra building to the mako reactor. The experiments described were horrible. Before Sephiroth was born- and after- Hojo had created monstrosities out of people who hadn’t consented to being experimented on in the first place. That particular bit of information had given Rufus a slight feeling of unease, since it made him recall the dark shapes in Hojo’s laboratory all those years ago.

The documents Sephiroth had didn’t focus on his creation or the experiments Hojo did on others, but rather the results of the increased dosages of mako and his development over the years. It made sense why no one told Sephiroth where he came from. If he found out, there was no telling what he would do. Rufus breathed out a long sigh, forcing it to stabilize when it came out shaky. He put the documents back into their respective drawers, moving to the nightstand instead.

There were only a couple of books in it. Two were focused around the classical problem of a teenager trying to figure out what they wanted to do with their lives, and who they were. The other three were all about family. The plot was somehow more cliche than the teenage angst the other two had. Whatever issue the main character experienced, their family and friends were there to help them through it. Rufus chuckled. It was almost amazing how easy Sephiroth was to figure out. _Nothing but an angsty, lonely teenager trapped in an adult man’s body._ Rufus closed the book and the drawer, then stood up. He grabbed a piece of paper and pencil from the desk, and wrote something on it. Rufus set it down by the bottles of shampoo and conditioner, then left, letting the door gently click shut.

_He’ll just be that much easier to control._

__

Sephiroth stared at the note in his hand, ignoring the unpleasant way his hair stuck to his sweaty neck.

_I was kind enough to provide you with the shampoo and conditioner I personally use, so rest assured it’s of good quality._

_R.S._

Sephiroth opened the shampoo bottle, not believing the scent labeled on it. But when he inhaled, it smelled exactly how the packaging said it did. 

Vanilla and lavender.


End file.
